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Welcome to Money Diaries, where we're tackling what might be the last taboo facing modern working women: money. We're asking a cross-section of women how they spend their hard-earned money during a seven-day period – and we're tracking every last penny.
This week...
"After graduating from Cambridge University in July last year, I have been living back at home with my family and working at a local small animal veterinary practice. Unfortunately, during my final year rotations at uni I managed to break my left arm, which resulted in me spending eight weeks in a cast while finishing my degree.
Several months into my working life, it became apparent that my arm had never properly healed and was starting to impact my ability to work, so further surgery was needed.
Four and a half months later, after intensive physio and several months spent in a splint, I am now hesitantly beginning the slow process of getting back to work."
Four and a half months later, after intensive physio and several months spent in a splint, I am now hesitantly beginning the slow process of getting back to work."
Industry: Veterinary Medicine
Age: 25
Location: Shropshire
Salary: £27,000 (although I have been off work recovering from surgery on my wrist for the past four months).
Paycheque amount: Normally £1,880, but reduced to £1,400 the first month I was off, and then to £415 statutory sick pay for the past three months.
Number of housemates: 4: my parents, my sister and my nan (who lives in our annexe). Also four dogs (a golden retriever, a miniature poodle and two border collies), three cats, a handful of chickens and three sheep.
Age: 25
Location: Shropshire
Salary: £27,000 (although I have been off work recovering from surgery on my wrist for the past four months).
Paycheque amount: Normally £1,880, but reduced to £1,400 the first month I was off, and then to £415 statutory sick pay for the past three months.
Number of housemates: 4: my parents, my sister and my nan (who lives in our annexe). Also four dogs (a golden retriever, a miniature poodle and two border collies), three cats, a handful of chickens and three sheep.
Monthly Expenses
Housing costs: £0. I currently live at home, and feel terrible for not paying rent. My sister and I have offered many times but have come to the arrangement that as long as we pull our weight with chores around the house, and are using our earnings to save, then we can live here for free.
Loan payments: £0. Pretending my student loan from six years studying doesn’t exist until Student Finance tell me otherwise.
Transportation: £190 annual car tax. £511.55 annual car insurance, plus £38.69 for business cover. Have only recently started driving again so have lost track of my normal petrol costs, but somewhere around the £70 mark per month seems normal.
Phone bill: £44.78
Savings? £7,900, but dwindling by the day. I normally transfer all of my earnings into my savings account and then just move enough into my current account as and when I need to spend it. Since being on sick pay, I’ve probably had a few months of spending more than I’ve been earning; not ideal but this did include going on a holiday to Cornwall so I know this won’t be a regular thing.
Loan payments: £0. Pretending my student loan from six years studying doesn’t exist until Student Finance tell me otherwise.
Transportation: £190 annual car tax. £511.55 annual car insurance, plus £38.69 for business cover. Have only recently started driving again so have lost track of my normal petrol costs, but somewhere around the £70 mark per month seems normal.
Phone bill: £44.78
Savings? £7,900, but dwindling by the day. I normally transfer all of my earnings into my savings account and then just move enough into my current account as and when I need to spend it. Since being on sick pay, I’ve probably had a few months of spending more than I’ve been earning; not ideal but this did include going on a holiday to Cornwall so I know this won’t be a regular thing.
Found out last month that I have been left a sizeable amount of money by my late grandad. The house feels very empty without him. In his will he left each of his grandchildren £30,000 to put towards a deposit for a house; he always thought he had been exceptionally lucky in his life and especially to get into the property market when he did, so this was his way of passing on some of that luck to our generation. I’d give it up without a second thought if it meant having him here still (he lived just down the road from us, so we saw him every day), but I know how much he would love to think of us using it to start our own lives and it's something I will be forever thankful to him for.
Other: £26 a month for contact lenses, which also includes twice-yearly eye checks with my optician. £135 one-off payment for four months' gym membership to use while I was off work.
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